Tomato plant not bearing tomatoes??

grow2008

16 years ago

Last year was my first attempt to grow tomatoes. My two plants grew and appeared to be healthy, but I only harvested one small tomato. Any suggestions as to what I might have done wrong or what I could try to encourage tomato growth....I've read the books and went by the book, but maybe there's some "green thumb" knowledge I'm missing.

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Comments (7)

nightrider767
16 years ago
I'm not the expert on this, as my tomatos had about the same amount of luck.

But from the research that I've done, I concluded that I planted the tomatos too late in the season. They ended up trying to grow in the middle of a very hot dry summer.

This year, if I plant, they'll go in at the begining of March. But,,, I've sort of have been into canna. So I think I'll put canna into those raised beds...

Good luck!
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
16 years ago
The only time I had that happen was with the Brandywine variety that a friend gave me. The plant grew huge, but never even bloomed much less produced fruit, while right next to it Celebrity was producing abundantly. So it might have been the variety of tomato.

Texas GW forum-ers -- what are the good producing varieties y'all would recommend?
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Whoa. Just looked up current temps for Lubbock. Low 100s, high 90s? No wonder you're not getting any tomatoes. Tomatoes have a hard time setting fruit when daylight temps get above 90. The heat inactivates the pollen. Someone in your area would have to plant out tomatoes as early as possible so that they're blooming before it gets too hot. The flowers will be fertilized and the fruit will set while temps are still moderate, then that's it for new fruit until temps cool down again in the fall. If you plant out so late that the plant doesn't start blooming until the temps are above 90, then you won't get any fruit. Sometimes, plants don't even survive the summer, so people plan to have a separate fall tomato season with all-new plants. You can try to help pollination by buzzing your tomato flowers with an electronic toothbrush and giving your plants some afternoon shade, but, honestly, I don't know how much good that will do with the temps you have.
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yummykaz
16 years ago
This usually happens when you have too much nitrogen. You get great plant but no tomatoes. Lay off fertilizer and manures. You can search online for remedies.
I always plant by mid Feb as mentioned above.
Some nurseries ( Cornelius in Houston) offer free soil testing too. Try your tomatoes again in pots with Miracle Grow Organic and see. Also tomatoes gotta have tons of sun.
I prefer: Carmello, Goliath, Taxi,Dona, JD's C-TEx regular or Early Texas Black, Celebrity, Rutgers
I also grow a bunch of Heirlooms, but don't suggest that at first.
happyintexas
16 years ago
It would help to know where you garden. If I set out tomatoes by February like yummykatz, I'd have nothing but freeze burned plants. lol

Tomato pollen dies at temps over 95 degrees and your plants will not set fruit. They also need a bit of wind or movement to help that pollenation process. My granny used to whack at her large healthy plants with a length of garden hose or short stick. I think she thought she was disciplining them, but in reality she was helping that pollen move around.

In my Ft. Worth area garden, I plant Celebrity and Roma tomatoes. I try heirloom varieties from time to time, but usually only get one or two tomatoes from a large vine. It is especially frustrating when the bunnies get the one tom produced. Celebrity, as well as Heatwave and Merced, get to producing early in the season. We are usually harvesting by Memorial Day, after planting in late March (and watching for freezes.) By the middle to the end of June, the tomatoes go on vacation. Sometime I baby them through the summer for a fall harvest, but haven't been too successful there.

Hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Creative Soul
alaskadiver
16 years ago
happyintexas is right.

Tomatoes won't pollinate above around 90 degrees F so you have to put them out early in Texas. I put mine out about now. If there is a freeze coming I use gallon milk jugs with the tops cut off to protect them. If they die I just plant new ones, tomato starts are cheap.

The easiest tomato to grow in Texas BY FAR has to be the cherry tomato. At least that's been my experience. They grow like crazy and put out buckets of fruit. And for some reasons the birds don't attack them as much as the larger varieties. I also plant celebrity and some patio varieties in pots.
natvtxn
16 years ago
If you are buying plants, look at the "days to Maturity" info on the label. Buy the ones with the shortest number of days to maturity. Hopefully they will produce before the temps get 90 and above.
You can help the pollination along by lightly "flicking" the blossoms with your finger.
hitexplanter
16 years ago
I just tap my cages to help with pollenation. Between 6 am and 8 am is considered the best by commercial greenhouse growers. Generally speaking 6-8 oz tomatoes will yield more pounds per plant so consider this along with dates to maturity. 50 to 60 days being some of the earliest, mid 60 to 70 days and long more than 70 days.
Good Luck and Happy Growing Y'all.

P.S. mine are inside this morning again, in their grow on pots, waiting for warmer weather at the end of the month at the earliest for me to finish plant out. Hope to have first maters by early May this year. We will see:)

Tomato plant not bearing tomatoes??

Comments (7)

nightrider767

roselee z8b S.W. Texas

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